


Settling for a Beta

by orphan_account



Category: Jurassic World (2015)
Genre: Age Difference, Alpha Owen, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta Claire, Kissing, M/M, No Sex, Omega Zach, Post-Canon, Takes place immediately following the movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-25
Updated: 2015-10-25
Packaged: 2018-04-28 03:05:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5075398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zach has learned to accept his place in life as an omega, but that doesn’t mean he has to embrace it. He’s been fully prepared to live his life pretending to be an ordinary beta with ordinary beta girlfriends because alpha females are just so rare. Male alphas were out of the question. Zach has always been straight. He’s never considered any other option, especially since male alphas have a reputation of being arrogant, demanding, and sometimes violent. But that's not Owen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Settling for a Beta

**Author's Note:**

> I've read a lot of Zachowen, but this this is my first time writing it. I wrote this while I was supposed to be writing two different papers, so I hope you enjoy it.

_Alpha, ___Zach’s mind whispers unhelpfully. _He’s not just an alpha. He’s the alpha. ___  
  
It shouldn’t make a difference. Zach has learned to accept his place in life as an omega, but that doesn’t mean he has to embrace it. He’s been fully prepared to live his life pretending to be an ordinary beta with ordinary beta girlfriends because alpha females are just so rare. Male alphas were out of the question. Zach has always been straight. He’s never considered any other option, especially since male alphas have a reputation of being arrogant, demanding, and sometimes violent. Hoskins had certainly fit that mold, and even the omega instincts inside Zach screamed at him to get as far away as possible.  
  
Not with Owen though.  
  
He glances over at the man standing with his aunt, resisting the urge to growl. It’s not her fault she’s only a beta. _Not her fault, but she still doesn’t deserve him. ___This time he does let the sound out as he groans against his own instincts.  
  
“Are you all right, Zach?” His mother is in front of him in an instant, fretting with the blanket wrapped around his shoulders.  
  
“I’m fine, just tired,” he says. Thankfully she accepts the excuse. It’s true that he’s tired, but it certainly isn’t the only issue at hand. Not when Aunt Claire keeps locking lips with his alpha every five minutes.  
  
He lets out a gasp, glad that his mother has moved back over to Gray before his brain betrayed him. Zach stares over at the couple, willing his thoughts to rewind,  
  
Owen is not his alpha. Owen is not interested in being his alpha or—as far as Zach can tell—even having an omega. He and Aunt Claire are perfectly happy together.  
  
As if sensing the stare, Owen glances over. Oblivious to the hitch it puts in Zach’s breathing, he flashes him that smile. The one that makes Zach want to throw himself at Owen’s feet like he’s in heat.  
  
He’s not and he can resist.  
  
Zach forces out a smile in response. He hopes that will be enough to satisfy the alpha’s attention, but it isn’t. Of course it isn’t. He focuses on keeping his breathing under control as Owen strides over with all the confidence of an alpha at his prime.  
  
_That’s what he is. That’s why he’s perfect, _Zach’s mind purrs. He wishes his thoughts would start ignoring Owen. It would make life easier.__  
  
“Hey,” he says as Owen reaches him. “What do you need?” God, could he sound any more weak and submissive?  
  
“I just wanted to see how you two are handling things.” Owen glanced over at Gray, bundled between their parents. “He seems pretty good for now, but what about you?”  
  
“Yeah, this was the wake-up call our parents needed to stop letting him fall aside.” Zach purposefully ignores the second question for now. “He managed to whisper to me about an hour ago. He’s still calling the divorce, and I think he’s right. Our trauma isn’t enough for them to fix their problems.”  
  
Owen nods. “It’s a shame, but it happens. It should all work out for the best for you.” He jerked his head to the side. “Take a walk with me.”  
  
“Sure.” Trying not to scramble to his feet to quickly, Zach signals to his mom that he’s going with Owen. The last thing they all need is for her to freak out because he’s missing. He glances around and sees Aunt Claire coming toward them, but then he realizes she’s actually aiming for the rest of his family. Divide and conquer.  
  
When Owen sets off, Zach jogs a couple steps to catch up before falling into step beside him. The stride’s a bit longer and brisker than Zach would normally use, but he isn’t going to complain. He can’t let his alpha know he’s weak.  
  
If Owen notices his flinch, he doesn’t say anything. They continue to move, skirting around the edge of the building and out the door. Zach wants to ask where they’re going, but he doesn’t dare. The silence between them has settled too comfortably.  
  
Finally they reach a smaller building about a block away, and Owen flips the lock without any hesitation before opening the door and motioning for Zach to go in.  
  
“Where are we?” he finally asks.  
  
“Used to be a navy supply hold, but now it’s just here.” Owen shrugs as he says it before leaning against a shelf. He motions for Zach to come in more, and he does so faster than he’d like to admit.  
  
Zach takes a seat on a stool not far from Owen and looks at him. He wants to ask what they’re doing here, but it seems a bit forward. The alpha will obviously get to it when he intends to.  
  
“You have some extreme authority issues, Zach.”  
  
That’s what he wants to talk about? Zach’s problems with authority? He tries to tamp down his disappointment as he offers a sloppy shrug.  
  
“I don’t really know what you’re talking about, but I guess?”  
  
“You got the announcement to go back to the park and didn’t. Plus, Claire told me what your mom said about problems in school revolving around disrespecting teachers.”  
  
“If they don’t show any respect for students, why should students show any respect to them?” he retorts, cheeks going a bit pink.  
  
Owen lets out a sigh, giving Zach a look. “That’s not exactly your typical behavior from an omega.”  
  
If Zach’s face was pink before, now it’s full red as he sputters. “What, but that’s— How did you know? Claire doesn’t. And you shouldn’t have been able to smell it. I’m not—” He clamps his mouth shut before he can add, in heat.  
  
Owen chuckles. “You don’t have to be ashamed of it, Zach. Being an omega doesn’t make you weak, and it doesn’t mean you have to submit, although you seem to have determined that part on your own.”  
  
Zach’s feeling just a little bit better until Owen adds, “But how did I know? I saw your face when I told Gray I was the alpha.”  
  
“I didn’t make a face!”  
  
“You did actually.” Owen seems more amused than anything else, and it’s slightly irritating. “I bet you knew by that point, though.”  
  
“I knew as soon as we met you.” He tries to ignore the blush still on his cheeks because he’s pretty sure it will be a permanent part of this conversation. “It was just… nice to hear it confirmed.”  
  
“You don’t meet a lot of male omegas these days,” Owen says.  
  
Zach sets his mouth in a firm line as he tries to figure out Owen’s angle. He chooses not to respond.  
  
“Claire said you’ve got a girlfriend. She a beta?”  
  
He let out a snort. “What else would she be? If my kind is rare, female alphas are practically extinct. I’m not really expecting to ever meet one, much less find out we’re compatible.”  
  
Owen studies him, the intensity of his gaze making Zach squirm a little. “So you’ve never kissed an alpha.”  
  
“What? No.” Zach was right about the flush. His face turns a darker shade again, and he tries to look less tense by rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m not— I’ve never— There’ve never been any guys that made me think about it.”  
  
“Still none?” Owen asks. “Personally I’ve always preferred women, but there’s just certain guys that make me embrace the whole bisexual label thing. Male omegas drive me crazy.”  
  
Letting out a little squeak, Zach sat up a little straighter. “Why are you telling me this?”  
  
“Because, Zach,”—He tries not to shiver at the sound of his name coming out of Owen’s mouth—“you’re way too young for me. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you, and you’ll probably find some alpha who rocks your world. But I’m afraid that if you keep hiding from your sexuality, you’ll let yourself settle for some boring beta girl.”  
  
“You’ve got a beta girl,” Zach spits back, immediately wanting to take it back.  
  
Owen merely raises an eyebrow. “Your aunt could fit the bill, but I think we’ve both realized that she’s far from boring. We’re going to give this a try and see where it goes. But that’s not the point I was trying to make. Zach, I’m going to kiss you.”  
  
_Yes, now, immediately, ___that traitorous part of his mind pleads, but he squashes it down again.  
  
When he doesn’t respond, Owen’s conviction falters. “Is that okay? I won’t do it if it makes you uncomfortable.”  
  
“I mean it’s a little weird when you were kissing my aunt like twenty minutes ago,” Zach jokes, but he realizes the idea doesn’t both him as much as it probably should. That’s a little worrisome. “I don’t mind. You can… You can kiss me.”  
  
He angles his head up as Owen’s walks over, thinking that he should stand but not actually doing it.  
  
Owen does it for him, a hand on each arm as he pulls Zach to his feet. Zach sways a little, leaning against him to regain balance. At the look on Owen’s face, he doesn’t pull away but stays close. He likes that they’re touching.  
  
Slowly, as though he’s afraid Zach will bolt, Owen reaches out to grab Zach’s chin, keeping his head angled so the omega can only continue gazing up at Owen’s face. He thought his eyes were brown, but Zach now realizes they’re more green than brown.  
  
They stay like that for long enough that Zach gets impatient. “Are you going to kiss me or not?” He finally asks.  
  
Owen chuckles. “So many problems with authority,” he teases before finally leaning in for the kiss.  
  
Zach has had exactly five beta girlfriends and kissed every one of them. Kissing them was nice—one was a little wet, another a little dry. He liked kissing them more than texting or even talking. It was his favorite part of dating.  
  
None of those kisses were anything like that.  
  
The kiss has so much intensity that Zach gasps against Owen’s lips, and the alpha takes that as encouragement to bring his tongue into the equation. Zach is not complaining.  
  
They stand like that for long enough that Zach loses track of time. When they finally break apart, Owen presses one last kiss to the omega’s forehead before Zach buries his head into the crook of Owen’s neck to get his breath back.  
  
“What do you think?” Owen asks quietly. “Still willing to settle for betas?”  
  
Zack moves his head just enough to look into his alpha’s eyes. “When you break up with yours, please give me a call.”

  



End file.
